Mountain hares live in Scotland and the North. They graze on vegetation and nibble bark from young trees and bushes. Hares shelter in a ‘form’, which is simply a shallow depression in the ground or heather, but when disturbed, can be seen bounding across the moors using their powerful hind legs to propel them forwards, often in a zigzag pattern. Mountain hares live in upland areas and are most common on heathland; they are at their most visible in spring, when the snow has melted but the hares are still white.

Behaviour

Mountain hares are grey-brown with a blue tinge in summer and turn white during the winter – only their ear tips stay black. The Irish hare may remain brown even in winter and its coat has a reddish tinge. Mountain hares are larger than rabbits, but smaller than brown hares and have shorter ears.

Size

Length: 60cm

Weight: 4kg

Average lifespan: 4 years

Status

Classified as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Distribution

Found in the highlands of Scotland and in the Peak District.

When to see

Jan – Dec

Facts

Unlike the brown hare, which is thought to have been introduced by the Celts during the Iron Age, the mountain hare is native to Britain. However, it is only native to the Scottish Highlands and was translocated elsewhere.

SN/NC: Medinilla Magnifica, Syn. Medinilla speciosa, Melastomataceae Family

  

Medinilla is a perennial epiphytic plant in the genus Medinilla of the family Melastomataceae. Medinilla is named for José de Medinilla y Pineda, who was governor of Mauritius (then known as the Marianne Islands) in 1820. Medinilla speciosa reaches on average a height of 45–60 centimetres (18–24 in). This evergreen shrub has woody branched stems and opposite leathery green leaves (up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long and 15 centimetres (5.9 in)wide, with prominent veins. The dainty small flowers are bright pink-colored and are produced in large panicles on pendant reddish stems. The flowering period extends from early Summer to Fall. When the blooming is finished for about a month remains a raceme of showy berries, pending that the plant reflowers. These rounded fruits are at first pink and purple-blue when ripe (hence to common name of Showy Asian Grapes.) Other common names: Rose Grape, Showy Medinilla, Malaysian Orchid, Chandelier Tree, Kapa-kapa.

The plant is utilized as a traditional medicine, by boiling, brewing, or consuming it directly. The fruits are consumed by pregnant women as health supplement and also used as diarrhea, mouth sores, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antibacterial treatment. This plant occurs naturally in Borneo, Java and Philippines. In Borneo, the plant can be found at the Kinabalu in the Malaysian part of the island. It's distribution include peninsular Malaysia (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Java, Sumatra, Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

 

A medinila é uma planta arbustiva, de textura semi-lenhosa e florescimento ornamental. Seus ramos são quadrangulares, alados, frágeis, pouco ramificados e eretos. Eles crescem lentamente e podem atingir até 2 metros de altura. As folhas são sésseis, opostas, grandes, verde-escuras, cerosas, brilhantes e com nervuras claras e bem marcadas. As inflorescências pendentes, surgem na primavera e verão e são muito duráveis. Longas, elas chegam a 30 cm de comprimento, e apresentam brácteas e flores róseas dispostas em cachos, como se fossem uvas, o que lhe rendeu o nome popular "uva-rosa".

A medinila pode ser utilizada isolada ou em grupos. Ela é perfeita para compor conjuntos com outras plantas tropicais, como alpínias, helicônias, gengibres, formando suaves contrastes de texturas e cores. Por ser uma planta vistosa, mas ainda rara e exótica, causa impacto aos espectadores de sua beleza e tem sido utilizada em jardins contemporâneos e tropicais. Como seu crescimento é demasiado lento, ela necessita pouca manutenção e podas. Curiosamente, as medinilas são muitas vezes encontradas epífitas (sobre as árvores) nas Filipinas, seu local de origem. Seu nome é uma homenagem a José de Medinilla y Pineda, então Governador de Mauritius, (Anteriormente conhecida como Ilhas Marianas), em 1820.

  

Medinilla is een overblijvende epifytische plant van het geslacht Medinilla van de Melastomataceae-familie. Medinilla dankt zijn naam aan José de Medinilla y Pineda, die in 1820 gouverneur was van Mauritius (toen bekend als de Marianen). Medinilla speciosa bereikt een gemiddelde hoogte van 45-60 centimeter (18-24 inch). Deze groenblijvende struik heeft houtachtige vertakte stengels en tegenoverliggende leerachtige groene bladeren (tot 20 centimeter (7,9 inch) lang en 15 centimeter (5,9 inch) breed, met opvallende nerven. De kleine delicate bloemen zijn helderroze van kleur en zijn geproduceerd in grote pluimen op hangende roodachtige stengels. De bloeiperiode loopt van het begin van de zomer tot de herfst. Als de bloei ongeveer een maand is afgelopen, blijft er een tros van opzichtige bessen over, wachtend tot de plant weer bloeit. ronde vruchten zijn aanvankelijk roze en paarsblauw wanneer ze rijp zijn (vandaar de algemene naam van opzichtige Aziatische druiven.) Andere veel voorkomende namen: rozendruif, opzichtige medinilla, Maleisische orchidee, kroonluchterboom, kapa-kapa.De plant wordt gebruikt als traditionele geneeskunde, gekookt, vergist of direct geconsumeerd. De vruchten worden door zwangere vrouwen geconsumeerd als gezondheidssupplement en ook gebruikt als diarree, zweertjes in de mond, ontstekingsremmende, kankerbestrijdende en antibacteriële behandeling. Deze plant komt van nature voor op Borneo, Java en de Filippijnen. Op Borneo wordt de plant gevonden in Kinabalu op het Maleisische deel van het eiland. De distributie omvat het schiereiland Maleisië (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Java, Sumatra, Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

  

Medinilla est une plante épiphyte vivace du genre Medinilla de la famille des Melastomataceae. Medinilla doit son nom à José de Medinilla y Pineda, qui était gouverneur de Maurice (alors connue sous le nom d'îles Marianne) en 1820. Medinilla speciosa atteint en moyenne une hauteur de 45 à 60 centimètres (18 à 24 pouces). Cet arbuste à feuilles persistantes a des tiges ligneuses ramifiées et des feuilles vertes coriaces opposées (jusqu'à 20 centimètres (7,9 po) de long et 15 centimètres (5,9 po) de large), avec des veines proéminentes. Les petites fleurs délicates sont de couleur rose vif et sont produites en grandes panicules sur des tiges rougeâtres pendantes. La période de floraison s'étend du début de l'été à l'automne. Lorsque la floraison est terminée pendant environ un mois, il reste une grappe de baies voyantes, en attendant que la plante refleurisse. Ces fruits arrondis sont d'abord roses et bleu-violet à maturité (D'où le nom commun de Showy Asian Grapes.) Autres noms communs: Rose Grape, Showy Medinilla, Orchidée malaisienne, Chandelier Tree, Kapa-kapa.La plante est utilisée comme médecine traditionnelle, en la faisant bouillir, en la brassant ou en la consommant directement. Les fruits sont consommés par les femmes enceintes comme complément de santé et également utilisés comme diarrhée, plaies buccales, traitement anti-inflammatoire, anticancéreux et antibactérien. Cette plante est naturellement présente à Bornéo, à Java et aux Philippines. À Bornéo, la plante se trouve au Kinabalu dans la partie malaisienne de l'île. Sa distribution comprend la Malaisie péninsulaire (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Java, Sumatra, Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

  

Medinilla ist eine mehrjährige epiphytische Pflanze aus der Gattung Medinilla der Familie Melastomataceae. Medinilla ist nach José de Medinilla y Pineda benannt, der 1820 Gouverneur von Mauritius (damals als Marianne-Inseln bekannt) war. Medinilla speciosa erreicht im Durchschnitt eine Höhe von 45 bis 60 Zentimetern. Dieser immergrüne Strauch hat holzige, verzweigte Stängel und gegenüberliegende ledrige grüne Blätter (bis zu 20 Zentimeter lang und 15 Zentimeter breit) mit hervorstehenden Adern. Die zierlichen kleinen Blüten sind hellrosa gefärbt und werden in großen Rispen produziert an hängenden rötlichen Stielen. Die Blütezeit erstreckt sich vom Frühsommer bis zum Herbst. Wenn die Blüte etwa einen Monat lang beendet ist, bleibt eine Traube auffälliger Beeren übrig, bis die Pflanze wieder blüht. Diese abgerundeten Früchte sind im reifen Zustand zunächst rosa und lila-blau (daher zum gebräuchlichen Namen von auffälligen asiatischen Trauben.) Andere gebräuchliche Namen: Rosentraube, auffällige Medinilla, malaysische Orchidee, Kronleuchterbaum, Kapa-Kapa.Die Pflanze wird als traditionelle Medizin verwendet, indem sie gekocht, gebraut oder direkt verzehrt wird. Die Früchte werden von schwangeren Frauen als Nahrungsergänzungsmittel konsumiert und auch als Durchfall, Mundschmerzen, entzündungshemmende, krebsbekämpfende und antibakterielle Behandlung verwendet. Diese Pflanze kommt natürlich in Borneo, Java und den Philippinen vor. In Borneo befindet sich die Pflanze im Kinabalu im malaysischen Teil der Insel. Die Verbreitung umfasst die Halbinsel Malaysia (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Java, Sumatra und Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

  

Medinilla è una pianta epifita perenne nel genere Medinilla della famiglia Melastomataceae. Medinilla prende il nome da José de Medinilla y Pineda, che fu governatore delle Mauritius (allora conosciute come le Isole Marianne) nel 1820. Medinilla speciosa raggiunge in media un'altezza di 45–60 centimetri (18–24 in). Questo arbusto sempreverde ha steli ramificati legnosi e opposte foglie verdi coriacee (lunghe fino a 20 centimetri (7,9 pollici) e larghe 15 centimetri (5,9 pollici), con venature prominenti. I piccoli fiori delicati sono di colore rosa brillante e sono prodotti in grandi pannocchie su steli rossastri pendenti.Il periodo di fioritura si estende dall'inizio dell'estate all'autunno. Quando la fioritura è terminata per circa un mese rimane un racemo di bacche appariscenti, in attesa che la pianta si rifiorisca. Questi frutti arrotondati sono inizialmente rosa e viola-blu quando sono maturi (da qui il nome comune di Showy Asian Grapes.) Altri nomi comuni: Rose Grape, Showy Medinilla, Malaysian Orchid, Chandelier Tree, Kapa-kapa.La pianta viene utilizzata come medicina tradizionale, bollendola, fermentandola o consumandola direttamente. I frutti vengono consumati da donne in gravidanza come integratore per la salute e usati anche come diarrea, piaghe alla bocca, trattamento antinfiammatorio, antitumorale e antibatterico. Questa pianta si trova naturalmente in Borneo, Giava e Filippine. Nel Borneo, la pianta si trova nel Kinabalu nella parte malese dell'isola. La sua distribuzione include Malesia peninsulare (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Giava, Sumatra, Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

  

Medinilla es una planta epifita perenne del género Medinilla de la familia Melastomataceae. Medinilla lleva el nombre de José de Medinilla y Pineda, quien fue gobernador de Mauricio (entonces conocido como las Islas Marianne) en 1820. Medinilla speciosa alcanza en promedio una altura de 45 a 60 centímetros (18 a 24 pulgadas). Este arbusto de hoja perenne tiene tallos leñosos ramificados y hojas verdes coriáceas opuestas (hasta 20 centímetros (7,9 pulgadas) de largo y 15 centímetros (5,9 pulgadas) de ancho, con venas prominentes. Las delicadas flores pequeñas son de color rosa brillante y se producen en grandes panículas. en los tallos colgantes de color rojizo. El período de floración se extiende desde principios del verano hasta el otoño. Cuando la floración termina durante aproximadamente un mes, sigue siendo un racimo de bayas vistosas, a la espera de que la planta vuelva a florecer. (de ahí el nombre común de Showy Asian Grapes.) Otros nombres comunes: Rose Grape, Showy Medinilla, Malaysian Orchid, Chandelier Tree, Kapa-kapa. La planta se utiliza como medicina tradicional, hirviéndola, preparándola o consumiéndola directamente. Las mujeres embarazadas consumen las frutas como suplemento de salud y también se usan como diarrea, llagas en la boca, antiinflamatorios, anticancerígenos y antibacterianos. Esta planta ocurre naturalmente en Borneo, Java y Filipinas. En Borneo, la planta se puede encontrar en Kinabalu, en la parte malasia de la isla. Su distribución incluye Malasia peninsular (Penang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor), Java, Sumatra, Lesser Sunda Isl. (Sumbawa, Lombok).

 

Medinilla هو نبات معمر معمر في جنس Medinilla من عائلة Melastomataceae. تم تسمية Medinilla على اسم José de Medinilla y Pineda، الذي كان حاكمًا لموريشيوس (المعروفة آنذاك باسم جزر ماريان) في عام 1820. يصل متوسط ارتفاع Medinilla speciosa إلى 45-60 سم (18-24 بوصة). تحتوي هذه الشجيرة دائمة الخضرة على سيقان خشبية متفرعة وأوراق خضراء جلدية متقابلة (يصل طولها إلى 20 سم (7.9 بوصة) وعرضها 15 سم (5.9 بوصة)، مع عروق بارزة. الزهور الصغيرة اللطيفة ذات لون وردي فاتح ويتم إنتاجها في عناقيد كبيرة. على سيقان ضاربة إلى الحمرة قلادة. تمتد فترة الإزهار من أوائل الصيف إلى الخريف. عند الانتهاء من الإزهار لمدة شهر تقريبًا تبقى مجموعة من التوت المبهرج، في انتظار إعادة إزهار النبات. هذه الثمار المستديرة تكون في البداية وردية وأرجواني-أزرق عندما تنضج (وبالتالي الاسم الشائع للعنب الآسيوي المبهرج.) الأسماء الشائعة الأخرى: العنب الوردي، ميدينيلا المبهرج، الأوركيد الماليزي، شجرة الثريا، كابا كابا.

يتم استخدام النبات كدواء تقليدي، وذلك عن طريق غليه أو تخميره أو تناوله مباشرة. تستهلك النساء الحوامل الثمار كمكمل صحي وتستخدم أيضًا كعلاج للإسهال وتقرحات الفم ومضادة للالتهابات ومضادة للسرطان وعلاج مضاد للبكتيريا. يتواجد هذا النبات بشكل طبيعي في بورنيو وجاوا والفلبين. في بورنيو، يمكن العثور على النبات في كينابالو في الجزء الماليزي من الجزيرة. يشمل توزيعها شبه جزيرة ماليزيا (بينانج، بيراك، باهانج، سيلانجور)، جافا، سومطرة، جزيرة سوندا الصغرى. (سومباوا في لومبوك).

 

メディニラは、メラストマ科メディニラ属の多年草着生植物です。メディニーリャの名前は、1820 年にモーリシャス (当時はマリアンヌ諸島として知られていた) の知事だったホセ・デ・メディニーリャ・イ・ピネダにちなんで命名されました。メディニーリャ・スペシオサの高さは平均 45 ～ 60 センチメートル (18 ～ 24 インチ) に達します。この常緑の低木は、木質で枝分かれした茎と、反対側の革のような緑色の葉 (長さ 20 センチメートル (7.9 インチ)、幅 15 センチメートル (5.9 インチ) までで、葉脈が目立つ) を持ちます。可憐な小さな花は明るいピンク色で、大きな円錐花序で咲きます。赤みを帯びた垂れ下がった茎に咲きます。開花期は初夏から秋まで続きます。開花が終わると約 1 か月間、華やかな果実の総状花序が残り、植物が再開花するまで続きます。これらの丸い果実は最初はピンク色で、熟すと紫がかった青になります。 （したがって、派手なアジアンブドウの一般名が付けられました。）他の一般名：ローズグレープ、派手なメディニラ、マレーシアの蘭、シャンデリアツリー、カパカパ。

この植物は、煮たり、煎じたり、直接消費したりして、伝統的な薬として利用されています。果実は妊婦が健康補助食品として摂取するほか、下痢、口内炎、抗炎症、抗がん、抗菌治療にも使用されます。この植物はボルネオ島、ジャワ島、フィリピンに自生しています。ボルネオ島では、この植物は島のマレーシア部分のキナバルで見られます。分布にはマレーシア半島（ペナン、ペラ、パハン、セランゴール）、ジャワ、スマトラ、小スンダ島が含まれます。 （スンバワ島、ロンボク島）。

The Oriental dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca), also known as the black-backed kingfisher or three-toed kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae.

 

This is a small, red and yellow kingfisher, averaging 13 cm (5.1 in) in length, yellow underparts with glowing bluish-black upperparts. A widespread resident of lowland forest, it is endemic across much of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Common Name: Pelicans

Scientific Name: Pelecanus

Type: Birds

Diet: Carnivores

Average life span in The Wild: 10 to 25 years

Size: Body, 5.8 ft; wingspan, 10 ft

Weight: 30 lbs

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

 

There are more than half a dozen species of pelicans, but all of them have the famous throat pouch for which the birds are best known. These large birds use their elastic pouches to catch fish—though different species use it in different ways.

 

Many pelicans fish by swimming in cooperative groups. They may form a line or a "U" shape and drive fish into shallow water by beating their wings on the surface. When fish congregate in the shallows, the pelicans simply scoop them up. The brown pelican, on the other hand, dives on fish (usually a type of herring called menhaden) from above and snares them in its bill. Pelicans do not store fish in their pouch, but simply use it to catch them and then tip it back to drain out water and swallow the fish immediately. The American white pelican can hold some 3 gallons of water in its bill. Young pelicans feed by sticking their bills into their parents' throats to retrieve food.

 

Pelicans are found on many of the world's coastlines and also along lakes and rivers. They are social birds and typically travel in flocks, often strung out in a line. They also breed in groups called colonies, which typically gather on islands.

These seabirds are threatened by chemical pesticides, such as DDT, which damaged the eggs of pelicans and many other species.

The average June temperature on Khodovarikha is 3 degrees Celsius.

 

Landmark

Keeping it simple and casual today, you know how I do.

 

Backdrop: Pseudo - Gym Entrance Scene

Bag: REIGN. - Beach bum bag

Cup: Besom ~ Beauty Tumblers #5

 

//Wearing//

 

Hair: Stealthic - Aquaria

Top: TETRA - ruffle crop top

Wrists: Quirky&LovelyDisarray. - Rebel Bracelet

Rings: (Yummy) Minimalist Rings

Bottom: Blueberry - Rie - torn jeans

Shoes: REIGN. - Mini Slips

your average holiday ho.. almost got my ass kicked making this picture :)

Photo taken through Glass!

 

Lion

Of all the great cats, the lion has always held a supreme place in man's esteem and imagination. The lion has always been honored by man, crediting the regal beast with attributes he prizes most; nobility, courage, loyalty, combative skills and sexual prowess. This attribution applies to both sexes, for a lioness is a creature of sinuous beauty ,but the full-grown male, whose magnificent mane ranging in color from a rich golden brown to a deep blackish-brown, mark him as the veritable monarch of the plains. The legacy of the lion, King of Beasts, as the model throughout history is demonstrated by its appearance among the earliest drawings made by humans over 15,000 years ago.

 

Zoological name: Panthera leo

 

Species: Of the known sub-species of lion there seems to be an agreement on 2 as far as genetics go - Pantherinae Panthera leo leo - the African lion, and Pantherinae Panthera leo persica - the Asian lion. Regardless of the area of Africa a lion is found in today, their DNA analysis has shown them to be the same, whereas there is a difference between African and Asian. As of the time of this writing, the Barbary lion has never been tested and compared to these results, and may in fact be a third and distinct lion sub-specie.

 

Presence on the planet: The lion was once found from northern Africa through southwest Asia (extinct in most countries within past 150 years), west into Europe (extinct 2000 years ago) and east into India (relict population in Gir Forest only). Today, the majority of Africa’s lions can be found in east and southern Africa, with a small number in west Africa. Most of the lions today exist inside protected areas. No accurate number of how many lions exist in the wild has been reported, but guesstimates are between 30,000-100,000.

  

Habitat: Lion prides are often found in the open plains, but are known from nearly all habitats except deep desert and rainforest. Lions climb trees to rest and cool off, or sometimes to escape stampedes. During the day, lions rest by water holes or salt licks, but at night these places are usually reserved for hunting.

 

Physical appearance: Males range from 172 to 250 cm in body length, females from 158 to 192 cm. Tail length varies between 60 and 100 cm in length. Females are 45 to 68 kilograms lighter than the average-size male, but have an equal muscle mass. Males weigh between 150 and 260 kg while females weigh between 122 and 182 kg.Lions have a broad face, rounded ears, and a relatively short neck. Male lions have a mane, which varies in color. It usually is a silverish-grey or a yellowish-red. The darker the mane the older the lion. Captive lions are known to have longer and fuller manes than wild lions. The underside of males is a buff color, while the females' underside is whitish in color. Both sexes have sharp retractable claws on each paw and powerful shoulders, which they use to bring down their prey. Hinge-like jaws containing 5 centimeter canines also aid the lion in hunting and catching their prey.

 

Diet: Lions are very opportunistic eaters, and will take almost any prey ranging from small rodents to young rhinos, hippos and elephants. The majority of its prey, however, is medium to large ungulates, most notably zebra, wildebeest, impala, warthog, hartebeest and waterbuck. They will stay away from adult rhinos, hippos, elephants and even giraffes. The females do most of the hunting, and the male will come and join the females after the kill is made. The females will make way for the males and allow him to eat his fill first. Males will participate on a hunt when it is a particularly large prey item - like a water buffalo - where his size and strength is required to bring down such a large animal (although enough females can do it successfully on their own). Males must also hunt during their bachelor stages, when there are no females to take care of them.

 

Reproduction & Offspring: Lions will reproduce any time of the year, and all females of reproductive maturity will breed at the same time. This allows them to give birth in synchrony with each other, thereby sharing the suckling responsibilities. Any lactating female in a pride will suckle any cub that belongs to the pride. Lions give birth to 1-6 cubs after a gestation of 110 days. The cubs are born blind and helpless, and weigh approximately 2-4 pounds. Cub mortality is very high in lions, and less than half will survive their first year. Young males will leave their pride between 2-4 years if they can get away with staying that long, but sometimes they are forced out as early as 13-20 months. Females remain with their natal pride most of the time, although some will disperse and form new prides. While male lions are physically capable of reproducing at 30 months and females at 24 months, they do not generally successfully reproduce until pride membership has been firmly established.

 

Conservation status: Lions are generally considered problem animals whose existence is at odds with human settlements and cattle culture. Their scavenging behavior makes them highly susceptible to poisoned carcasses put out to eliminate predators. Where the wild prey is migratory, lions will predate on captive stock during the lean season, thus making the nuisance animals and easy targets for humans to eliminate.

 

The average speed of a sneeze is about 100 miles per hour, as noted by WebMD. Each sneeze packs a germy wallop, too, with each sneeze sending about 100,000 germs flying through the air.

 

The Best thing is that when my kids went to school they were taught to sneeze into the bend of the elbow - Not to cover with there hands.

I think this really works great - we almost never have colds anymore.

 

Water color paints splattered on a clear acrylic glass.

Happy Macro Monday !!!

Yup, it really is THAT blue! And the views are amazing.

Crater Lake (near Bend, Oregon) - famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m)-deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. With a depth of 1,949 feet (594 m), the lake is the deepest in the United States. In the world, it ranks tenth for maximum depth, and third for mean (average) depth.

2019 NHRA Nationals drag racing at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia.

 

Top fuel nitro cars have 11,000 Horse Power and are rebuilt after every run down the track! Between rounds they typically have between 60-90 minutes to complete the rebuild.

Average price for a dozen large grade A eggs here in Utah is $5.67. Across the county it varies from about $4.59 to about $6.00. I'm cashing in my gold coins for eggs! For the Sliders Sunday Group.

Base image created using Bing Image Creator and Processed using Photoshop and Quad Pencil. Happy Sliders Sunday!

Seville from La Giralda - Spain.

 

Seville (/səˈvɪl/; Spanish: Sevilla [seˈβiʎa]) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the river Guadalquivir. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, after the Roman name of the city, Hispalis. Seville has a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town, with an area of 4 square kilometres (2 sq mi), contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Seville harbour, located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. Seville is also the hottest major metropolitan area in the geographical Western Europe, with summer average high temperatures of above 35 °C (95 °F).

 

Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis. It later became known as Ishbiliya (Arabic: إشبيلية‎) after the Muslim conquest in 712. During the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of Seville; later it was ruled by the Muslim Almoravids and the Almohads until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile under Ferdinand III in 1248. After the discovery of the Americas, Seville became one of the economic centres of the Spanish Empire as its port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade and the Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) wielded its power, opening a Golden Age of arts and literature. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan departed from Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Coinciding with the Baroque period of European history, the 17th century in Seville represented the most brilliant flowering of the city's culture; then began a gradual economic and demographic decline as silting in the Guadalquivir forced the trade monopoly to relocate to the nearby port of Cádiz.

 

The 20th century in Seville saw the tribulations of the Spanish Civil War, decisive cultural milestones such as the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and Expo '92, and the city's election as the capital of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.

 

Source: Wikipedia

 

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Spotted this Fellow eyeing me at a local park. I could sense he was looking for a handout, and I wanted to give him a treat; but there are signs in the park stating, “do not feed the wildlife.” So, I gave him a nod and we went our separate ways.

 

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California ground squirrels live in burrows which they excavate themselves. Some burrows are occupied communally but each individual squirrel has its own entrance. Although they readily become tame in areas used by humans, and quickly learn to take food left or offered by picnickers, they spend most of their time within 25 m (82 ft.) of their burrow, and rarely go further than 50 m (160 ft.) from it.

 

In the colder parts of their range, California ground squirrels hibernate for several months, but in areas where winters have no snow, most squirrels are active year-round.

 

California ground squirrels are often regarded as a pest in gardens and parks, since they will eat ornamental plants and trees. They commonly feed on seeds, such as oats, but also eat insects such as crickets and grasshoppers as well as various fruits.

 

California ground squirrels are frequently preyed on by rattlesnakes. They are also preyed on by eagles, raccoons, foxes, badgers, and weasels.

 

The average lifespan for the California ground squirrel is 3 to 4 years in the wild, but they can live as long as 6 years. In captivity, the average lifespan for the ground squirrel is 10 years.

 

(Sony, 200-600 @ 335 mm, 1/2000 @ f/8.0, ISO 2500, processed to taste)

New Find of a Red Pond Lilly.

Created with Ultra Fractal

Polygonia c-album Common name: comma Male average wingspan 55mm Female 60mm.

Comma belongs to the largest family of butterflies “Nymphalidae”.

In the image you will see the white comma mark on the underside of the wing, hence the common name “comma”

To help reduce predation in all stages it has protective camouflage. When it is a small caterpillar it resembles a bird dropping, dark brown and crusty with white patches, when it is fully grown it becomes spiny and tan coloured; with a white marking along most of its back.

The Chrysalis is attractive in its own way, it resembles a upside down seahorse beautifully coloured with silver and gold marks on a pinkish brown body. When in butterfly stage, the comma can easily be mistaken for a fallen leaf when its wings are closed. It is the only butterfly in UK with jagged edged wings.

Habitats…. Woods, copses, road side hedges, mature overgrown gardens, meadows edged with tall hedges.

Although “commas” are not migratory they are strong fliers, widespread over most of England and Wales; although scarce in Scotland and Ireland. The species is commonly found in Europe, as far north as Norway, far south as North Africa and far East in Asia.

The female “comma” mates with multiple males, which is needed to fertilise her eggs.

After mating the females favour plants such as “hop” (Humulus lupulus), “nettles” (Urtica spp.)

The female lays her eggs singly, unlike most other butterflies that lay them in batches. When first laid the eggs are green in colour, then turn yellow. After four to five days they turn grey just before hatching.

Adults feed intensely on flowers late in summer so they are able to hibernate during the winter months. Hibernation takes place usually in well sheltered wooded areas. The following spring, the males stake out their own territories; favouring sun-light areas along a wooded edge. These areas have more of a chance of females passing by, which are pursued by the male; after mating he will then return to his favoured leaf.

Here in Barnet the average winter temperature does not usually fall below 2 degrees C (35.6 F) so the recent cold blast -5 degrees C (23 F) was a bit of a shock. This is a series of 5 photos taken in the cold weather

A nice tree, a nice barn, a nice lake. Put them all together and what do you get? A fairly average picture (but one with good potential on a nicer day perhaps? Probably needs more elevation)

 

This was taken on the way back to Ambleside. The walk took in Wansfell Pike and Troutbeck - places we'd never been before. We had pretty bad weather on the way up Wansfell Pike (which I found really hard, even with the very good path) and so no photos from the summit. Got a little better as we descended into Troutbeck.

 

Troutbeck is a lovely little village. A fell race was taking place when we arrived. Rather them than me!

 

This species averages 51 cm in length. Its long, pointed grey and black tail with a white median band is distinctive. A white wing patch is conspicuous in flight. The bill is black in male, pea-green in the female, is a widespread bird of Africa in the turaco family.

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes is an Omnivor they live in the wild and have a average lifespan of 2 to 4 years and a maximum length of around 36 inches they can weigh over 20 pounds . They are often thought of as a pest and hunted but they are still common in the UK .

   

I took this photo somewhere in central Kentucky. At the time, I forgot to jot down the exact location.. Kentucky is full of old barns and old abandoned houses that make for some great photographic opportunities if you like capturing that type of images. There is something about these old barns that I find appealing and I have a hard time putting it into words. I think of the life of extreme hard work, tough and practical men and women, and—contrary to Hollywood's stereotypical portrayal of farmers and rural folk as ignorant—I find them to be above-average in intelligence and practical wisdom.

How does it last the blink of an eye? You could measure it, if you really want to, but the truth is that we are so accustomed to blink our eyes that we are almost entirely unaware of the whole thing. Our brain compensates for it. So, in a way, we could say that a blink of an eye has an infinitesimal duration. The amazing thing I was thinking of while processing this fireflies shot - while recalling the actual experience - is that a whole, huge lot of things happen in the blink of an eye. Proteins in our cells are freshly synthetised; old, worn-out proteins are digested and reduced to aminoacids to be recycled; tiny yet powerful molecules of ATP continually bind to enzymes, allowing them to perform their "unlawful" duties at amazing rates; B lymphocytes produce and refine astronomical quantities and varieties of antibodies to fight some intruding pathogen; neurons alternately fire and rest in what we could envisage as, well, an astoundingly complex network of hyperfast fireflies. In the blink of an eye whole universes are born, and whole worlds are destroyed. We are so bound to our perception of time, to our own timescale, that it is utterly difficult for us to imagine what is happening on different timescales. In a mere hour a bacterial colony can proliferate enormously and, sadly, viruses can get huge hordes of self-copies at the expense of an unwittingly complicit cell.

 

There are further non-human timescales though, well beyond the microscopic word of cells or molecules. It is not by chance that for centuries people have been believing that the world had truly been created in seven days (well, actually six) and that everything - from geology to animals and plants - have remained basically unchanged since then. And that fossils were either remains of antediluvian creatures or tricks of the devil to test our faith and potentially lead us astray.

Well my friends, somehow this photo has reminded me that the world - both the micro- and the macroscopic - is something unutterably complex, almost beyond our grasp (almost being the key of everything). The quest for its understanding is a collective, neverending adventure. I often feel so small that even these fireflies, with their wonders, humble the feeling of being part of the species who believe to be master of the world. My mind is a minute firefly lost in a vast expanse of darkness. Yet I cannot give up. We cannot give up, since we "were not made to live [our] lives as brutes, / but to be followers of worth and knowledge" (Divine Comedy, Inferno, 26). Maybe our lives are the blink of an eye in the unutterable spatial and temporal vastness of the universe. But they are well worth living.

 

It has always been one of my unfulfilled dreams to photograph fireflies, which, sadly, are becoming a rarity in our countryside; the positive effects of the lockdown for the environment have probably favoured a blooming this year, so I decided to have a try. I followed the advices of a master of fireflies photography, the Bulgarian photographer Hristo Svinarov. However I will eagerly accept hints and positive criticism from everyone who will be so kind to offer it.

In my second fireflies session I have become a little more confident in my possibilities. I have tried to lower the ISO below 1000, and this is by itself a huge step towards better photos; moreover I have somehow dared more in composition. I am forced to use my Samyang 14 mm, which is the only fast-aperture lens I have in my gear, so I ventured nearer and nearer, until I was literally surrounded by dancing fireflies.

 

I have stacked 15 5-second photos with the Gimp. As the basic layer I used an image I have obtained by averaging the photos with John Paul ChaCha's Chasys Draw IES Artist: the fireflies themselves were almost obliterated but the landscape were effectively denoised, while the details were improved. In this photo I have processed separately the image which would have been the basic layer, just in the same way as any other photo - luminosity masks, and so on. When I was satisfied with the landscape I faced a new problem: it was just like I wanted it to be, so the 15 layers to be blended (those actually containing the fireflies) should not alter it - they should only add the precious fireflies. After a good bit of trial and error I developed my own workflow: a) duplicate one of the fireflies layers; b) extract LAB L component; c) in the bw image so obtained play with levels to force all the dark tones to black, then lower the light tones slider to better the fireflies signal; d) manually paint out the sky and the trees, and the other unwanted parts still visible (e.g. the water in the ditch); e) use this image showing only the fireflies as the layer mask of the original photo; f) set the blending mode to Addition: at this point the fireflies appear in the scene; g) duplicate 4 times the layer and then merge down the copies to get only one layer with the fireflies signal very naturally amplified; h) proceed in this way for all the (gasp) 15 shots; i) after all this, you can inspect the contribution of every layer to the result and, if needed, you can duplicate it and blend with Addition or Dodge to amplify it.

Average wall in Amsterdam center streets

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• LUXECODE x Tres Chic Event

Lipstick Bag FP by @itslc.sl

📍—> @treschic_sl (Tres Chic 155, 139, 134)

• SCENERY x Scenery Mainstore

Residential Luxe Garage by @scenery.sl

📍—> Scenery Mainstore (Exxotica 189, 89, 2835)

 

#MSPRETTY♡

Sculpture by Anthony Cragg in Remigiusplatz Square, Bonn, Germany

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

 

The Rook (Corvus frugilegus) is a member of the Corvidae family in the passerine order of birds. Named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, the species name frugilegus is Latin for "food-gathering".

 

Rooks are distinguished from similar members of the crow family by the bare grey-white skin around the base of the adult's bill in front of the eyes. The feathering around the legs also look shaggier and laxer than the congeneric Carrion Crow. The juvenile is superficially more similar to the Crow because it lacks the bare patch at the base of the bill, but it loses the facial feathers after about six months. Collective nouns for rooks include building, parliament, clamour and storytelling. Nesting is always colonial (rookeries), usually in the very tops of the trees. Branches and twigs are broken off trees (very rarely picked up off the ground), though as many are likely to be stolen from nearby nests as are collected from trees.

 

Though resident in Great Britain, Ireland and much of north and central Europe, vagrant to Iceland and northern Scandinavia, it also occurs as an eastern race in Asia where it differs in being very slightly smaller on average, and having a somewhat more fully feathered face.

 

In captivity, when confronted with problems, rooks have recently been documented as one of multiple species of bird capable of tool use to obtain a goal. (wikipedia)

 

In the 7 years that I have been regularly walking through Griffith Park, Dublin 9, Rooks have only become a regular sight in the last few months. A very welcome addition to the avifauna of the park.

credits

Another year passes by for this old bird. Successfully navigating his way back to Blighty, avoiding all the perils of traps and gits with guns. Well done old boy.

Taken with my iPhone

 

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E' il massiccio montuoso più esteso delle Alpi, il secondo per altezza dopo il Monte Bianco, ed è quello con l'altitudine media più elevata: tra le prime 20 cime più alte della catena alpina, 9, ovvero quasi la metà, sono appartenenti al Monte Rosa. E' anche il monte più elevato della Svizzera e il secondo d'Italia.

 

Monte Rosa Massif

It is the largest mountain range in the Alps, the second in height after Mont Blanc, and is the one with the highest average elevation: among the top 20 highest peaks of the Alps, are nine belonging to the Monte Rosa. It 'also the highest mountain in Switzerland and the second largest in Italy.

Lotus Evora, Bentley Continental GT Convertible, Rolls Royce Ghost

(Cossypha semirufa)

Amani Nature Reserve

Tanzânia

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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.

So, you may find:

- All the photos for this trip Tanzânia (2025) (377)

- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)

- All the photos for this family Muscicapidae (Muscicapídeos) (454)

- All the photos for this species Cossypha semirufa (1)

- All the photos taken this day 2025/04/27 (8)

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These women do not exist. They each are a composite of about 30 faces that I created to find out the current standard of good looks on the Internet.

On the popular Hot or Not web site, people rate others’ attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. An average score based on hundreds or even thousands of individual ratings takes only a few days to emerge.

I collected some photos from the site, sorted them by rank and used SquirlzMorph to create multi-morph composites from them. Unlike projects like Face of Tomorrow or Beauty Check where the subjects are posed for the purpose, the portraits are blurry because the source images are low resolution with differences in posture, hair styles, glasses, etc, so that I could use only 36 control points for the morphs.

What did I conclude about good looks from these virtual faces? First, morphs tend to be prettier than their sources because face asymmetries and skin blemishes average out. However, the low score images show that fat is not attractive. The high scores tend to have narrow faces. I will leave it to you to find more differences and to do a similar project for men.

 

My other two images on attractiveness are here and here.

Wild - at Pantanal - MS - The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest parrot in the world and easily one of the most spectacular. It is an enormous bird weighing on average 1.5 kilograms (3.5 pounds) and is completely blue save its dark bill and bare yellow orbital ring and stripe at base of its lower mandible. It is completely dependent on the fruits of a number of palm species and has a necessarily massive bill to aid in the cracking of the tough exterior. Due to its dependence on palm fruit its range is regulated by the presence and abundance of its preferred species and is distributed in north central and south central Brazil into extreme north west Paraguay where it can be found in palm savannas, Mauritia palm stands, open dry woodland, gallery forest and the edge of humid lowland forest.

 

This species was reduced to an estimated 3000 birds by massive illegal trade in the period 1970–1990, with possibly as many as 10,000 being taken from the wild in the 1980s alone. In 1987 the species was placed on Appendix I of CITES, but for a time this only stimulated greater demand. Now reduced to three isolated populations in E Amazonia, the Gerais and the Pantanal, Brazil, with marginal occurrence in Bolivia and perhaps Paraguay. Stronghold is the Pantanal, where its range has expanded and population has shown signs of recovery since 1990 (2), probably as a result of conservation projects. In contrast, those of E Amazonia and the Gerais have continued to decline, from an estimated 1500 individuals in 1986 to 1000 in 2003. No hard population data, but total population estimated at 6500 individuals (equivalent to 4300 mature birds) in 2003, of which 5000 were in the Pantanal and around 200 in Bolivia (3). In the 1990s several long-term studies of the species started, in part coupled with conservation initiatives, often involving ecotourism, environmental education and nest-box deployment, at certain ranches in the Pantanal. However, local trapping for feathers and food may persist, as well as destruction of nest-sites either for farming or to obtain birds, and indeed general habitat loss throughout the species's range continues to decrease its survival prospects. Uplisted to Endangered in 2000 because the population has decreased very rapidly in the recent past and the threats from habitat loss and illegal trapping for the cagebird trade remain (4); downlisted to Vulnerable in 2014 because population declines had not been as rapid as feared BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus. Collar, N., P. F. D. Boesman, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. doi.org/10.2173/bow.hyamac1.01

 

Moreover, in the last 3 years, the species population has decreased even more due to the fires and environmental destruction. Thus, it is a real blessing to find them in the wild.

 

Have a peaceful Wednesday - HBW.

 

Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!

 

© All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission. All rights reserved. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.

 

Visit my instagram if you like: @thelmag and@thelma_and_cats

   

One source says the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains range is about 1,000 km (620 mi) in length. Its highest point is 7,090 m (23,260 ft) located 100 km (62 mi) to the northwest of Lhasa. The range is parallel to the Himalayas in the Transhimalayas, and north of the Brahmaputra River. [3] Another source says the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains extend 460 miles (740 km) from Nyêmo County in the west to Ranwu County (the southwestern part of Baxoi County) in the east.

 

Its highest peak is Mount Nyenchen Tanglha (Nyainqêntanglha Feng) at 7,162 metres (23,497 ft).[4]

 

The southern side of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains is precipitous, and falls by around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), while the northern side is fairly level and descends about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Most of the mountains are below 6,500 metres (21,300 ft).[5] They contain 7080 glaciers covering an area of 10,700 square kilometres (4,100 sq mi).[4]

 

The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains have an average latitude of 30°30'N and a longitude between 90°E and 97°E. Together with the Gangdise Shan located further west, it forms the Transhimalaya [a] which runs parallel to the Himalayas north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.

 

The Drukla Chu river rises in the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, where it is called the Song Chu river, and joins the Gyamda Chu river. The combined rivers run about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast to the Yarlung Tsangpo river.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyenchen_Tanglha_Mountains

 

The street I live on is called Oak Creek Drive, but in the arid climate here, we have water in the creek less than one day a year, on average. However, this past week we received over 5 inches of rain in 3 days, and even today - 3 days later - the water is still flowing. The trees and plants love the rainfall, and there are mushrooms growing under the oak tree that you see here.

 

This is an infrared image taken with my converted Nikon D300 camera. I've been taking infrared photographs for about 10 years, and with a total of 3 different cameras. It's much easier to take infrared images digitally that it was in the film days. If you like this look, I have an album of infrared photographs, creatively named Infrared.

www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157600507865146/

We were very fortunate to come across this newborn pup and its mother on our visit to Genovesa! The seals often avoid the mid-day sun, retreating back into the rocks and staying out of sight in the shade. They hunt in the Marine Reserve at night.

 

They are the smallest in the family of the eared seals, and have a grayish-brown fur coat. The Galapagos Fur Seals are endemic to the Islands and due to their decreasing population size, they are classed as endangered.

 

Galapagos fur seals live in large colonies which are divided into territories by the female seals during breeding season. Every mother seal claims a territory for herself and breeds her pup there. They have the lowest reproductive rate reported in all seals, with the females only bearing one pup at a time. She remains with her newborn for a week before leaving to feed. Baby seals weigh on average 20 pounds when first born and they pack on about 4 to 6 pounds a day.

Just a average day in Colorado at the Colorado Railroad Museum At Day Out With Thomas

Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.

 

....from a walk through Oxley Creek Common. Oxley Creek Common is home to a remarkable variety of birds. An experienced observer can find as many as 70 species in one hour of observation during the spring about 10% of all Australia's bird species and several times the diversity one could find walking the suburbs. In the past eleven years over 190 species have been recorded on the Common. (Source: University of Queensland)

 

Golden-headed Cisticola

Scientific Name: Cisticola exilis

Description: In breeding season, the male Golden-headed Cisticola has a golden-orange head, which is crested when calling, with a paler chin and throat, and a boldly streaked black to dark grey and golden body. The tail is black, with paler tips, and is shorter during breeding season. Females resemble non-breeding males, with buff-brown upper parts, heavily streaked black and dark brown, with a golden-buff rump and nape of neck. The underparts are cream with buff tints, the wings are black, with each feather edged buff. Young birds resemble the female but are duller.

Similar species: The related Zitting Cisticola, C. juncidis, resembles the Golden-headed Cisticola in size and shape, but lacks the rich golden colouring on the head and rump, tending to be paler underneath, and more heavily streaked on top. The Little Grassbird, Megalurus gramineus, is slightly larger, lacks the golden colouring, has streaked underparts and a longer tail.

Distribution: The Golden-headed Cisticola occurs from Carnarvon in Western Australia, north-east to Darwin, Cape York and down the east coast as far as King Island and Adelaide. It is also found from India and southern China to the Bismarck Archipelago.

Habitat: The Golden-headed Cisticola lives in sub-coastal areas, wetlands, swamp margins, wet grasslands, rivers, and irrigated farmland. It prefers tangled vegetation close to the ground, but breeding males may be seen singing from tall weeds or other shrubs.

Seasonal movements: Sedentary.

Feeding: Golden-headed Cisticolas feed quietly and inconspicuously on insects taken from the ground amongst tall grasses. They also feed on the seeds from the grasses among which they live.

Breeding: The Golden-headed Cisticola builds a rounded nest with a side entrance near the top, from fine grasses, plant down and spiders' web. Leaves are usually stitched to the outer surface and the nest is lined with soft plant down. Both the male and female help in nest-building although the female incubates the eggs on her own. The Golden-headed Cisticola sews leaves together to form part of its nest, giving it its other common name: Tailorbird.

Calls: Metallic, fluid buzzing calls, soft peeping and harsh scolding alarm calls. In breeding season calls almost continuously.

Minimum Size: 10cm

Maximum Size: 11cm

Average size: 10cm

Average weight: 10g

Breeding season: September to March

Clutch Size: 3 to 4

(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)

  

© Chris Burns 2016

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All rights reserved.

 

This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.

26 February 2021: In the week to 22 February on average 2293 people tested positive each day in Belgium. The figure is up 23% on the week. In light of these deteriorating statistics the group of experts that advises the government stated that the present epidemiological situation does not allow for any relaxations during the next four weeks. I’m wondering what the latest say of the government will be. Will they be able to resist the mounting demand of pressure groups requesting immediate relaxation of the current measures? Me personally, I’m in full agreement with the experts: there is no leeway for relaxations in March. Since the figures started rising during the weekend, Ghent has reported the highest fourteen-day average for coronavirus infections out of all the major cities in Belgium. The symptoms with which patients present themselves at the hospital are generally more severe than in previous weeks. Additionally, patients are also deteriorating faster. Around half of the patients who tested positive for the virus in the hospital are requiring intensive care, and new hospital admissions are no longer mainly elderly people. According to a lung specialist at the University Hospital of Ghent, these symptoms are typical of the start of a new wave. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worse. Meanwhile, in between ongoing video conferences I’m finding joy in taking pictures in Ghent and surroundings and/or in curating images out of my archive. Today’s post is from the midst of this year’s winter snap, just over a week ago – Citadelpark, Ghent, Belgium.

With temperatures averaging around zero in recent days, open water is more scarce along the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I found a location where the water was fast and relatively shallow with over 20 Trumpeter Swans along with geese, dabbling ducks and a few diving ducks were waiting it out. Much photo opportunities.

Schweiz / Tessin - Verzascatal

 

The Valle Verzasca is a valley in the Locarno district of the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione, Gerra, Frasco, and Sonogno. As of 2004, the total population is 3,200. It is the most central valley of Ticino, and none of the passes out of the valley cross cantonal or national borders. The valley is formed by the river Verzasca and is situated between the Leventina and the Maggia and culminates at Pizzo Barone.

 

Geography

 

Located between the Leventina and the Valle Maggia valleys, Valle Verzasca extends over a length of 25 kilometres (16 mi) in north–south direction and is situated in the north of the Lago Maggiore. The valley floor is at about 500 metres (1,640 ft) to 900 metres (2,953 ft) above sea level. The surrounding mountain passes respectively have an average altitude of 2,400 metres (7,874 ft). The valley is crossed by the Verzasca which is dammed at the southernly outlet of the valley, forming the Lago di Vogorno, before it flows in the Magadino plain in the vicinity of the Ticino in the Lago Maggiore.

 

The Valle Verzasca includes the geographical centre of Ticino, which is located at Mergoscia, near the lower end of the valley.

 

Climate

 

Due to the different altitudes, all climate zones are combined in the Valle Verzasca. Tenero-contra and Gordola include the insubric climate region thanks to the deep-sea level, close to the Lago Maggiore and protected by the mountains from the north winds. Vineyards and Mediterranean vegetation benefit from the mildest climate area of Switzerland, nebulae are rare and rainfall of short duration. With increasing altitude, the hills and mountain climate goes over to regions dominated by the Alpine climate (over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft)).

 

Flora and fauna

 

The diversity benefits among other things, the cultivation of vines, and it flourish chestnut forests and palm trees thrive. Due to differences in soil type and amounts, almost all flora occurring in the Ticino and fauna of the various environmental zones are found in the Verzasca Valley.

 

The Romans introduced and comparable to the tropical wood species, Castanea sativa is in the southern part of the valley, below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), the dominant species. It is no longer actively cultivated, but favors the further diffusion, and studies suggest taking advantage of the valuable wood of chestnut as a valuable wood.

 

In the Valle Verzasca the endemic Nera Verzasca goat has been preserved, which looks very much like the ancient Roman goat. This medieval durable goat has short hair, because it's not stuck in the snow.

 

Culture

 

Due to its isolated location, the Verzasca Valley is claimed as one of the valleys that could best keep its originality. The secluded geographical location made it unattractive for conquerors since the Roman period, and even before. The first traces of settlement in the area are from the early 2nd millennium BC, in its southern part. In Berzona, a locality (frazione) of Vogorno, a carved rock known as a Sass di Striöi (literally: witches stone) is situated on a hiking trail. The shell rock most likely dates from around 600–700 BC; there are about 90 such carved rocks in the Verzasca Valley. Although initially free farmers, the valley was alternately ruled by the Swiss Confederacy, Savoy, Leventia and the Rusca family from about 1410 onwards. In the European Middle Ages, the population were mainly farmers, and since the early 17th century, many residents had to leave for seasonal labour outside their home valley. Often unemployed young men were recruited as mercenaries for foreign armies. In two quarries granite is mined by local workers.

 

The so-called Rustici (Italian for farm house) in grey stone, with white borders on the windows and heavy stone roofs, are typical houses in the valley. Wood rafters are used to support the heavy stone roof, Castanea sativa wood. Many chapels along the way bear witness to the deep faith of the inhabitants of the valley. Valle Vercasza was the origin of many of the region's so-called Spazzacamini (literally: chimney sweep children).

 

Tourism

 

With the connection to the public transport, tourism developed from the end of the 19th century, but the majority of young people from the Valley still look for income opportunities in wealthier regions of Switzerland or northern Italy. Currently the majority of locals are active in the tourism trade. The conversion of the old Rustici houses into holiday houses created jobs, increased tourism revenues and ensured that the old houses and the characteristic image of the Verzasca Valley are preserved.

 

The mountaintop with views of the Valais, Bernese, Glarus and Grisons Alps, as well as the many transitions in the side and neighbouring valleys are popular to mountain hikers, and around a dozen mountain huts provide accommodation and meals. The Verzasca is popular to canoeists and divers, but considered to be dangerous and difficult. The Verzasca Dam is also well known for its 220 m height jump, which is one of the highest jumps in the world and also the most famous bungy jump, as it was used in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

 

Transportation

 

The only valley access for road traffic and the Postauto buses are bounded from Tenero or Gordola. The starting on the left side of the valley road (built from 1866 to 1871) crosses Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco and ends in Sonogno; a short road leads to Corippo. On the right side of the valley, the road and post road trips from Locarno ends in Mergoscia.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Das Verzascatal (italienisch Valle Verzasca) ist ein Tal im Schweizer Kanton Tessin, das zum Bezirk Locarno gehört. Im Verzascatal liegen die Ortschaften Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco und Sonogno. Ausser Mergoscia, das als eigene Gemeinde zum Kreis Navegna gehört, sind heute alle zur Gemeinde Verzasca zusammengeschlossen, die identisch mit dem Kreis Verzasca ist.

 

Lage

 

Das Verzascatal ist ein wildes Tal mit steilen Hängen und unzähligen Wasserfällen. Die Verzascahäuser (Rustici) aus grauem Stein mit weissen Umrandungen an den Fenstern und schweren Steinplattendächern sind typisch für das Tal. Die Kapellen entlang der Wege zeugen vom religiösen Glauben der Talbewohner.

 

Das Verzascatal ist mit Mergoscia das geometrische Zentrum des Tessins. Es ist das einzige Tal, das nur an Tessiner Täler grenzt. Es liegt zwischen der Leventina und dem Maggiatal und erstreckt sich über eine Länge von 25 km in Süd-Nord-Richtung nördlich des Lago Maggiore. Der Talboden liegt auf 500 bis 900 m ü. M. Die Berge, die das ganze Tal umrahmen, haben eine durchschnittliche Höhe von 2400 m ü. M. Das Tal wird vom Fluss Verzasca durchflossen, der am Talausgang gestaut wird und den Lago di Vogorno bildet, bevor er in der Magadinoebene in der Nähe des Ticino in den Lago Maggiore fliesst.

 

Die Seitentäler des Valle Verzasca sind von folgenden Dörfern aus erreichbar: Auf der rechten Talseite: das Val Resa und Valle di Mergoscia von Mergoscia; das Val di Corippo von Corippo; das Val d’Orgnana und Valle del Cansgell von Lavertezzo; das Val d’Osura von Brione; das Val Redòrta und Val Vegornèss von Sonogno. Auf der linken Talseite: das Val della Porta von Vogorno; das Val Carecchio, Val Pincascia und Val d’Agro von Lavertezzo; das Val Mött von Gerra; das Val d’Efra von Frasco.

 

Klima, Flora und Fauna

 

Aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Höhenlagen sind in der Valle Verzasca viele Klimazonen vereint. Tenero-Contra und Gordola gehören dank tiefer Meereshöhe, Seenähe und dem Schutz der Berge des Verzascatales vor den Nordwinden zur insubrischen Klimaregion. Weinberge und mediterrane Vegetation profitieren hier vom mildesten Klima der Schweiz, Nebel sind selten und Regenfälle von kurzer Dauer. Dieses Klima zieht sich weit in das Tal hinein, in dem Reben, Kastanienwälder und Palmen gedeihen. Es geht dann mit zunehmender Höhe über das Hügel- und Bergklima bis in die Regionen mit alpinem Klima (über 2000 m ü. M.). Wegen der Unterschiede in der Bodenbeschaffenheit und der Höhe können im Verzascatal fast alle im Tessin vorkommenden Pflanzen- und Tierarten der verschiedenen Umweltzonen angetroffen werden.

 

Die von den Römern eingeführte Edelkastanie (Castanea sativa) ist im südlichen Teil des Tales, unterhalb 1000 m, die dominierende Baumart. Ihr Holz hat ähnliche Eigenschaften wie die Tropenhölzer. Die Kastanienwälder werden seit den 1950er-Jahren nicht mehr bewirtschaftet, da es sich meist um Niederwälder handelt. Im Verzasca können in der Nähe von Dörfern und Maiensässen (monti) «auf den Stock gesetzte» Kastanienbäume, etwa auf Mannshöhe abgesägte Baumstümpfe, gefunden werden. Da die Kastanie die Fähigkeit hat, aus dem abgesägten Baumstumpf wieder auszutreiben (Stockausschlag), musste solange gewartet werden (etwa zehn Jahre), bis die Triebe den gewünschten Umfang erreichten, um zum Beispiel als Balken für die tonnenschweren Steindächer eingesetzt werden zu können. Im Jahre 2005 publizierte Studien über Versuchsanlagen schlagen vor, das wertvolle Kastanienholz wieder als Wertholz – zum Beispiel für Parkettböden – zu nutzen.

 

Im Verzascatal hat sich die alte Ziegenrasse Nera-Verzasca-Ziege erhalten, die der römischen Ziege sehr ähnlich sieht, wie aufgrund von Hornfunden in Augusta Raurica nachgewiesen werden konnte. Diese mittelalterliche Robustziege hat kurzes Haar, an dem Schnee nicht haftet.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Früher betrieb die Bevölkerung hauptsächlich Landwirtschaft, das heisst vor allem Weidewirtschaft. Ab dem 14. Jahrhundert überwinterten Einwohner mit ihrem Vieh in der Magadinoebene. Seit dem 17. Jahrhundert fand eine saisonale Auswanderung zur Erwerbstätigkeit statt. Arbeitslose und abenteuerlustige Männer liessen sich als Söldner für fremde Kriegsdienste anwerben. Piccoli spazzacamini (italienisch für kleine Schornsteinfeger) nannte man im 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert in Italien und im Tessin die Buben, die vor allem in den Städten Norditaliens als Kaminfegerkinder arbeiten mussten.

 

Seit 1873 wird in zwei Steinbrüchen von einheimischen Arbeitern Granit abgebaut. Mit dem Anschluss an den öffentlichen Verkehr entwickelte sich ab Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts der Tourismus. Im späteren 19. Jahrhundert, nach dem kalifornischen Goldrausch, begann auch im Verzascatal die Tradition der Kalifornienwanderung, die teilweise als Ersatz für die abgebrochene ältere europäische Auswanderungstradition angesehen werden kann.

 

Während der Krise der 1930er-Jahre breitete sich die Arbeitslosigkeit auch im Verzasca aus, und da auch Amerika die Grenzen geschlossen hatte, war auch die Auswanderung nicht mehr möglich.

 

Um der arbeitslosen Bevölkerung zu helfen, wurde das «Komitee für die Tätigkeiten in Heimarbeit» («Comitato per i lavori casalinghi a domicilio») gegründet. Die Talbewohner wurden mit typischen handwerklichen Tätigkeiten beschäftigt: Wollfärbung mit natürlichen Farben (Blättern, Wurzeln und Früchten, die vor Ort vorhanden sind), Handspinnerei, Strickerei und Holzarbeiten, um ihre finanzielle Not zu lindern. Daraus entwickelte sich 1933 die «Pro Verzasca», eine örtliche Vereinigung zur Wahrung der moralischen und materiellen Interessen der Region und ihrer besten Eigenschaften.

 

Der Umbau der alten Verzascahäuser (Rustici) in Ferienhäuser schafft Arbeitsplätze, erhöht die Tourismuseinnahmen und sorgt dafür, dass die alten Häuser und das charakteristische Ortsbild erhalten bleiben.

 

Im Jahre 1990 waren nur noch 20 Prozent der Beschäftigten im Landwirtschaftssektor tätig.

 

Verkehr

 

Der einzige Talzugang für den Autoverkehr und das Postauto ist im Süden ab Tenero oder Gordola. Die auf der linken Talseite beginnende Kantonsstrasse führt über Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco und endet in Sonogno. Sie wurde erst in den Jahren 1866 bis 1871 gebaut. Eine kurze Stichstrasse führt nach Corippo.

 

Auf der rechten Talseite endet die Strasse und Postautostrecke ab Locarno bereits in Mergoscia.

 

Tourismus

 

Die vielen Gipfel mit Sicht auf die Walliser-, Berner und Glarner- und Bündneralpen sowie die zahlreichen Übergänge in die Seiten- und Nachbartäler machen das Valle Verzasca zu einem Anziehungspunkt für Bergwanderer. Die Berghütten Cornavosa, Barone, Cognora, Efra, Osola, Fümegna und Borgna bieten Unterkunft.

 

Der Sentierone Valle Verzasca ist ein rot-weiss markierter Wanderweg (Bergweg), der von Tenero aus oberhalb des Lago di Vogorno oder via Mergoscia und später entlang der Verzasca in mehreren Etappen bis nach Sonogno führt.

 

Die Via Alta della Verzasca (VAV) gilt als eine der wildesten Bergwanderungen der Schweiz (SAC-Wanderskala = T6). Sie führt über verlassene Alpen, schroffe Gräben und schwer zugängliche Seitentäler und verbindet fünf Hütten miteinander. Die Route ist blau-weiss markiert und die schwierigsten Stellen sind mit Sicherungen (Drahtseile, Metallbügel) versehen. Die VAV führt oft durch sehr ausgesetztes Gelände mit Kletterstellen, so dass sie nur für erfahrene Berggänger zu empfehlen ist.

 

Die Bergwanderung Trekking 700 von Mesocco (GR) nach Formazza (I) führt durch das Valle Verzasca: die 4. Etappe: Biasca – Capanna Efra, die 5. Etappe: Capanna Efra – Sonogno und die 6. Etappe: Sonogno – Prato-Sornico.

 

Der Verzasca-Fluss ist unter Kanuten und Tauchern beliebt, gilt aber als schwierig bis gefährlich.

 

Über Geschichte und Gegenwart des Tales informiert das Museo di Val Verzasca in Sonogno.

 

Geschichte

 

Wegen seiner schweren Erreichbarkeit gilt das Verzascatal als eines der Täler, das am besten seine Ursprünglichkeit bewahren konnte. Die abgelegene geographische Lage machte es für die Eroberer uninteressant.

 

Zeugen einer sehr frühen Besiedlung der Verzasca-Region fanden sich an der Mündung der Verzasca. Dort wurden Steinarten aus der jüngeren Steinzeit (1800 v. Chr.) gefunden. In Berzona, einem Ortsteil (frazione) von Vogorno, liegt am Wanderweg ein grosser Schalenstein, der Sass di Striöi (Hexenstein), der vermutlich um 600 bis 700 v. Chr. bearbeitet wurde. Insgesamt gibt es im Verzascatal rund neunzig derartig eingemeisselte Felsen. In Tenero wurde 1880 eine bedeutende römische Nekropole aus dem 1. und 2. Jahr. n. Chr. entdeckt. Die Funde (Bronzen, Amphoren, Münzen) befinden sich im archäologischen Museum des Castello dei Visconti in Locarno.

 

Vermutlich um 1000 n. Chr. gründeten die Talbewohner eine Gemeinschaft (comunità) bestehend aus den vier Dorfgenossenschaften (vicinie): Vogorno (mit Corippo), Lavertezzo, Brione (mit Gerra) und Frasco (mit Sonogno). Die Gemeinschaft gehörte zum Pieve von Locarno, gegen den sie sich 1398 auflehnte. Zwischen 1410 und 1500 geriet das Tal abwechselnd unter die Herrschaft der Eidgenossen, Savoyer, Leventiner und der Rusca. Nach 1686 konnte sich die Gemeinschaft von den Marcacci Vögten befreien. 1803 wurde das Verzascatal ein Kreis (circolo) mit dem Hauptort Lavertezzo. In religiöser Hinsicht gehörte das Verzascatal bis zum 13. Jahrhundert zur Pfarrei San Vittore di Locarno.

 

Geologie

 

Einzigartig für die Region ist der spektakulär gefärbte Gneis. Es handelt sich um einen Oligoklasgneis, der unter dem Handelsnamen Serizzo bekannt ist. Die Farben verlaufen zwischen Braun, Schwarz, Grau und Weiss. Die Gesteine des benachbarten Valle Maggia sind dagegen meist rein grau.

 

(Wikipedia)

bit.ly/21nQp4K

Few interesting facts Google told me....

Where are people moving to Sacramento from?

•Across the nation, 3% of homebuyers searched to move into Sacramento from outside metros. San Francisco homebuyers searched to move into Sacramento more than any other metro followed by Fresno and Houston.

•To date, nearly 14,000 families have moved to the Sacramento area from the San Francisco/Bay area.

Where are people from Sacramento moving to?

•63% of Sacramento homebuyers searched to stay within the Sacramento metropolitan area. Boise was the most popular destination among Sacramento homebuyers followed by Dallas and Portland.

The average cost of a house (4 bedroom/2.5 bath; 1678 s/f) is listing for selling for $530,000 in what is considered one of the “better” neighborhoods (low crime rate and above average school rating). Which puts the monthly payments around $3500 + per month.

I have been saying for years now, If I had to buy a house now, I would never be able to be a homeowner. Living in an apartment is just as outpriced as well. Average 2 bedroom apartment is running about $2200 per month. And our gas prices are just as crazy, averaging $4.50 for regular unleaded.

 

In Lincoln, CA where this photo was taken is just outside of Sacramento in the adjoining county. The housing market for the same size house is about 50-75K more.

 

My hope is things will get better.